Predictions for 2017

While we try to be as diverse as possible with our range of sockets, switches and lighting we always try to keep in check with the latest styles and trends.

With this in mind we thought we’d take a look ahead to what we think 2017 will bring for us, and you, in the style stakes. This is what we believe will be the trends of the year ahead.

Quote from Pantone Color Institute

Green

Greenery (Pantone 15-0343) has been designated as the Pantone colour of the year. What is this? In their words it is ‘A symbolic color selection; a color snapshot of what we see taking place in our global culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude.’

Pantone have a real influence on the interior design industry, so there is no doubt we can expect this declaration by them to take effect. Expect to see a lot more green and colour pairings to match. Also expect to see the continuation of bold floral designed wallpaper that really took hold in 2016.

It won’t be just green we see, we’re sure to get a lot more colour mixing with the more neutral palettes of the last few years. Don’t expect to see a huge change, just more splashes of colour.

Industrial

We’re glad to see this one still going strong, with no sign of a let-up. The industrial style has been with us a while now and while it is diversifying somewhat, maybe even softening, we expect it to be strong in 2017. We saw this particularly strong in high-end specification jobs last year, with our black bronze cast plates being a very strong performer.

Copper

Our copper sockets and switches were one of our strongest sellers in 2016, along with copper lighting. While vintage light bulbs have also been strong for the last couple of years we are please to see some excellent vintage LED light bulbs entering the market and we expect these to almost completely wipe out the vintage incandescent bulbs this year. So much so we have now moved across to the entire range of vintage LED light bulbs now.

Hygge

What can beat the always-strong performing Scandi design? Scandi with a soft cuddly side of course! If you didn’t get into Hygge (said hue-gah) last year you certainly will this year. Pioneered (invented?!) by the Danes, and they know a thing or two about keeping cosy! We expect there to be no let-up with this trend this year.

Technology

While a lot of the industry is still design-led we do expect to see the continuation of technology and there is no doubt we will see more technology-led design filtering through in 2017 and beyond. We’ve seen more apps, like the Sensio colour control app, entering the market already. We have some other great Internet of Things (IoT) products we will be introducing in 2017, but we’re not alone. Expect to see this become more and more part of everyday life.

LED Development

Paired perfectly with the technology growth we also continue to see improvement in LED technology and ever-more innovative implementations of LED. There are new LED developments at the leading edge of this technology that will see the this market continue to grow and change. We saw LED bulbs and integrated LED lights becoming more mainstream than ever in 2016. Sales of LED dimmers (led by Varilight’s brilliant Pro Dimmer) are fast catching up standard dimmers, and we expect to see LED dimmers outstrip standard ones very soon.

Conclusion

There is plenty to look forward to in 2017, both in home interiors and technology but also with Socket Store. We have already made some pretty big changes that we hope will make your life a little easier when dealing with us, but that is just the beginning. We are only in January after all. Watch this space for plenty more to come from the Socket Store team in 2017!